MEXICO

1. MEXICO

2. Mexico • There are 32 states in Mexico

3. Geography of Mexico • Sierra Madre Occidental - large mt. range on the west coast of Mexico • Sierra Madre Oriental - large mt. range on the east coast of Mexico • Sierra Madre Del Sur -- “mother range of the south” where the 2 ranges meet in the south

4. 5 Regions of Mexico • 1. Central Plateau • 2. Northern Pacific Coast • 3. Southern Pacific Coast • 4. Gulf Coastal Plain • 5. Yucatan Peninsula

5. Central Plateau • Largest region, largest population • Best farmland in the south • Most geologically unstable - located on 4 plates • 1. North American • 2. Caribbean • 3. Pacific • 4. Coco’s • Elevation is the key to climate - Mexico city avg. temp (74 in July and 70 in January)

6. Northern Pacific Coast • Dry, hot and thinly populated • Despite arid climate - farming is prevalent because of irrigation • wheat, cotton and other crops • Baja California - mostly mountainous

7. Last 3 Regions of Mexico • 3. Southern Pacific Coast -- smaller Mt. range, Sierra Madre del Sur • Little farmland but great scenery and tropical climate -- tourism • 4. Gulf Coastal plain -- vast deposits of petroleum and nat. gas • 5. Yucatan Peninsula -- flat, and bedrock made of limestone. This dissolves and creates vast underground caverns. Sinkholes -- when these caverns collapse • Tourism -- resorts and Mayan ruins

8. CULTURE OF MEXICO • Section 2 • Mexico is made up of three main cultures: 1. Indigenous (Aztec) 2. Spanish 3. Mixed population (today) • Tenochtitlan -- capital city of the Aztecs • present day Mexico City • Hernan Cortes -- 1519 Spanish explorer who was held responsible for the downfall of the Aztec Empire ( 2 years) • Conquistador - conqueror

9. 4 Social Classes in Mexico • 1. Peninsular -- Spanish person born in Spain • 2. Creoles -- Spanish ancestry living in America • 3. Mestizo -- mixed Spanish and Indigenous ancestry • 4. Indigenous

10. Sect. 2 cont. • Hacienda -- large estates owned by Spanish people • Encomienda -- system of low wages and constant debt for lower ethnic groups • 1821 - Mexico becomes an independent nation • 1920 - Mexico has a new democratic government and constitution • Institutional Revolutionary Party -- political party in Mexico • Spanish -- official language • Ejido -- farmland owned collectively by members of a rural community Latifundios -- large commercial farms (1/3 of farms) 90% of Mexicans live with extended family

11. Other facts about Mexico • 5 % of Mexico’s GDP is agriculture , but 24% work in ag • U.S> gets 87% of all of Mexico’s exports • Average salary in parts of Mexico - $4.35 a day • 10 Pesos to 1 American dollar • Illegal immigration is an on-going problem, 500,000 illegal immigrants a year • Border is 1951 miles long

12. *Salaries in Mexico per yearAVERAGE SALARY IN THE U.S IS $36,764 • * Guadalajara, Jal. -- Lake Chapala/Ajijic $16,300 • * Polanco, Ciudad de Mexico, D.F. $11,900 • * Monterrey, N.L. -- Valle region $11,300 • * Monterrey, N.L -- Inner city $ 8,700 • * Matamoros $ 8,300 • * Cancun, Q.R. $ 7,000 • * Guadalajara, Jal. -- inner city $ 6,000 • * Nuevo Laredo, Tamps. $ 5,700 • * Cuernavaca $ 5,400 • * Guanajuato $ 3,000 • * San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas $ 2,400 • * Nezahualcoyotl, near Ciudad de Mexico $ 1,500 • * Cintalapa, Chiapas $ 1,300